Collegiate Loop - What peaks to bag?

[Wuff]

So I'm starting my Collegiate Loop hike next week, and I'm going to be in much better shape going into it than expected so I think I'll have some extra days/time to bag a few peaks. Any favorite climbs? Mt Harvard? Mt Yale?

[colorado_rob]

Not sure what direction your heading, but if SOBO, I'd start out climbing Elbert, even though it is just north of where you'll start at Twin Lakes. Take the SE ridge route from the twin lakes trailhead. Not the most exciting mountain in CO, but it is the very tallest and affords fantastic views.

If you're going NOBO, obviously just reverse all of this. Might not be a bad idea going NOBO so you can acclimate a tad before hitting the 14K+ peaks on the north end of the CW trail. believe it or not, being in fantastic shape does little for staving off AMS. No one believes this. But it's true, at least according to all the expert high-altitude medicine docs.

But for now, if you're heading south on the CW, when you top out at Hope Pass, might as well hang a right and climb Hope Mountain, a CO high-100 (centennial) at just below 14K feet. From there, back on the trail and heading down, you'll cruise through Winfield and up a dirt road, where I'd definitely detour and climb Mt. Huron, a fantastic 14er.

If you're really gamey when passing by Lake Ann, you could hang a left and climb North Apostle and Ice Mountain, two more high-100. NA is fairly easy, but Ice is, well, you need Ice in your veins for that one.... If you don't want either of those, at least get West Apostle when passing by it. You'll see all three of these Apostles from Huron, by the way. Fantastic view from Huron; don't skip that one.

Harvard (nice) and Columbia (sucks, my least favorite 14er) are two 14ers kinda out of your way, probably a route that will get you there, you could head up Magdeline gulch, head up to Lake Rebecca and catch Harvard's south ridge. Might want to google that for any beta on it first.

Yale and Princeton, decent 14ers, are in the same boat; well east of the CW trail, but you could do a ridge run to Yale off of Cottonwood pass. Ridge runs are generally fun, but you never know if it goes easily until it's tried.

I've heard good things about Emma Burr mtn, right along you way. In fact, there are bunches of 13ers along your way, but really no handy 14ers south of Huron, nor any more handy high-100 (13,800 feet+). Just off the south end of where the CW trail meets up with the CE trail if Mt. Ouray, a high-100 that lots of people actually believe is right at 14,000' though the most recent survey shows it a few feet below. Nice mountain in any case.

[colorado_rob]

Crap! Now I see you said "Collegiate Loop", not just the collegiate west.... OK, so on the CE side, you have tons of 14er opportunities... I'll just list them from south to north with my thoughts:

Tabaguache (pronounced "tab-a-wash") and Shavano are decent, I'd climb them. There's a decent route off the north side of Tab down to Brown's creek that would avoid coming back over Shavano, but not sure of your routefinding and loose-scree navigation skills.... plus you'd miss a small part of the CE trail

Antero; kinda marginal, definitely in my bottom 5 of favorite 14ers, and crowded because a jeep road goes near the top, lots of rock houds and ATV's everywhere, especially on a weekend.

Princeton; OK, not terrific

Yale; decent, I'd say right at average

Harvard/Columbia, usually climbed as a pair, Harvard very nice, Columbia sucks

Nice 5-pack of Iowa, Emerald (both 13,800+) and Missouri, Belford and Oxford (three decent 14ers) are handy to the trail

That's it! Holler with questions. I've climbed all these peaks (the ones I mentioned) at least twice, and some many times.

[Wuff]

All this is great, thank you. And you're right and I should have clarified what I meant by "good shape" - really what I mean is I'll be well acclimated by the time I get to the western portion. I live in Chicago so I was planning on starting very slow. But now I'm doing the Maroon Bells loop before the Collegiate Loop. THEN starting the loop by doing the Eastern side. By the time I head north on the Western portion I should be ready for some peaks. Thank you!

[Wuff]

Wow, so many options! Thanks again!

[colorado_rob]

Excellent; you're going to love that Maroon Bells loop. They do now require bear canisters there, by the way.

[Dogwood]

Thanks CR for the beta as one who has experienced the summits and routes you've mentioned. I even enjoyed the beta of the segment you got wrong.